End-March short interest: Indices flat, lots of changes industry- and sector-wide

posted in: Equities | 0

Short interest as of the end of March was flat on an index level, but action was hot and heavy on an industry/sector level. On the NYSE, short interest was 15.68 billion, down from 15.69 billion two weeks ago.  On … Continued

Short interest dynamics between NYSE and Nasdaq, and in SMH and IBB

posted in: Equities | 0

NYSE short interest rises to match mid-Oct highs, diverges from Nasdaq Within Nasdaq, shorts aggressive in pure tech, but less so in biotech Relatively low short interest on IBB probably does not help longs It is getting a little difficult … Continued

Breakouts deserve respect, successful test will validate move

posted in: Derivatives, Equities, Technicals | 0

Amidst deteriorating U.S. earnings picture and geopolitical uncertainty, stocks resilient Major indices break out, but how much buying power did bulls expend? Breakouts deserve respect, unless they are proven false Are U.S. equities trying to tell us something? Almost out … Continued

Can bulls continue to climb wall of elevated short interest worry?

posted in: Equities | 0

Bull markets need fuel for continued push higher. Money can leave other asset classes, such as bonds, and into stocks.  Or, they can come out of, let us say, money-market funds into stocks.  Foreigners can raise net purchases of U.S. … Continued

Oct 15th trough in stocks forces short-covering, can bulls squeeze some more?

posted in: Equities | 0

October 15th bottom in stocks forces shorts to cover in many sectors IWM expends lots of short-covering fuel to approach crucial resistance Nasdaq, NYSE short interest at multi-year highs, can bulls force squeeze? Since stocks bottomed on October 15th, naysayers … Continued

Duel between year-end seasonality (+ve) and QE end (-ve)

posted in: Credit, Economy, Equities | 0

Economy was probably not reason why QE2/3 got launched, stock sell-off was One month after QE1/2 ended, stocks began to act sick, prompting Fed into action Year-end rally may or may not happen; impending sell-off to test Fed’s pain threshold … Continued